


A Helping Hand

by OhanaHoku



Series: The Raven-Haired Warrior, A Raven-Haired Child [8]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: And one hell of an efficient worker, Child Abuse, Child Soldiers, Childhood Trauma, Conditioning, Friendship, Gen, George is a good friend, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Male Friendship, Merlin Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Merlin Needs a Hug (Merlin), One Shot, One Shot Collection, PTSD, Past Child Abuse, Short, Short One Shot, merlin has issues, part of a series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 09:46:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25348678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhanaHoku/pseuds/OhanaHoku
Summary: After hearing the gossip surrounding Merlin down in the kitchen, George decides to step up and help ease the burden on Merlin's shoulders.~Series Summary - To protect Mordred, Merlin confesses to having been a child soldier under Cenred's rule before coming to Camelot. This causes ripple effects throughout their lives that culminate into a tidal wave of disaster for the kingdom and its resident warlock.
Relationships: George & Merlin (Merlin)
Series: The Raven-Haired Warrior, A Raven-Haired Child [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764406
Comments: 22
Kudos: 296





	A Helping Hand

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nebula5030](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nebula5030/gifts).



> So, this part is gifted to Nebula5030. They are absolutely my loyalest subscriber for all things Merlin, and I couldn't ask for a better reader than them. So thank you, thank you, thank you, Nebula for all of your support! Your comments mean the world to me, and I'm always so happy to see them when I check my inbox after posting. Thank you. <3

Merlin checked in with Arthur as he got ready for his council meeting, thankful that the awkward exchange only lasted for a minute before Merlin was carting his gear down to the armory to be cleaned and polished after he finished delivering some potions with Gaius.

He was surprised to find George in the armory when he got there, pausing in the doorway at the unusual sight, as George wasn’t usually assigned to clean the knight’s equipment. Yet, here he was, half of the metal in the room already gleaming brightly, and a spaulder in hand as he ran an oil-soaked rag over it.

The servant paused when he realized he was being watched and looked up with a polite smile. “Ah, Merlin. Thank you for retrieving the king’s armor. Just set it down there, I’ll get to it right away.” He told him, wiping the spaulder down once more.

“Um, right.” Merlin set the armor down and watched as George carefully put the spaulder away. It was actually nice to have the responsibility of Arthur’s armor off his hands for once. “Thanks.” He said, giving George a small, heartfelt smile that felt relieving as it stretched his lips, as if it eased the muscles that strained to create the fake smile he’d been wearing.

“Not at all, Merlin. Just doing the job assigned me today.” George said, starting right in on Arthur’s armor, diligent as always.

“Right. I should get back to work too then.”

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

George watched Merlin go with a secret smile, satisfied that he’d made the right choice in coming to the armory on his morning off under the guise of being assigned there.

While the two weren’t close, he would hardly call them friends, George deeply admired the king’s manservant, who despite never standing on ceremony in the proper fashion for a servant, was loyal to the king and trustworthy to a fault.

He marveled at the friendship that Merlin had constructed with the king. Ever since the day he arrived, Merlin had sassed back to Arthur, had questioned and teased, and just in general treated the royal like a person rather than a job- And Arthur let him.

Uther had never allowed his servants to speak to him in a manner that was anything less than respectful and obedient, yet Merlin was breaking apart the social barrier between nobles and servants from day one.

Of course, Merlin’s upbringing had a lot to do with it. The servant was from a poor farming village where there was little to no hierarchy, aside from perhaps a village leader. He hadn’t even worked to become a servant, he’d just been assigned to the prince after saving his life. So he never went through training, had never learned how to address his betters.

George, on the other hand, had been raised in the service of his kingdom. His mother and father before him were both servants, his mother working in the kitchen, and his father in the royal court’s service. He’d joined the castle’s workforce when he was just six, running messages back and forth for the steward. Since the day he could stand on his own two feet, he’d been taught the rights and wrongs of being servant, how to address nobility, and how it wasn’t his place to question what the king did because the nobles were superior to him in every way.

And he had always believed it. Until Merlin came along, and George watched him get closer and closer with Arthur with every passing year until any blind man could see they’d become best friends.

And while George didn’t have any proof, he was positive that Merlin was essential in Arthur’s decisions to knight those common-born and marry a former servant.

The man had helped George understand that nobles were people, just like servants, and though George had trouble viewing their king in the same light as them, it was nice to know that his king didn’t see his servants as inconsequential.

So yes, George truly admired the young man, and when he’d seen the servant walking back to his quarter’s with tears on his face the night before and heard the whispering among the girls in the kitchen as he passed through, he figured the man could probably use some time off. No matter the reason for the gossip, or Merlin’s tears, the man deserved it after everything he did for Arthur.

So, despite it being his morning off, George headed to the armory after training that morning, set to work, and simply waited for Merlin to bring him the king’s armor. It wouldn’t grant Merlin too much extra time, but it would ease the burden on his shoulders, at least somewhat.

_ Yes, _ he smiled to himself as Arthur’s gorget grew glossy with a bright sheen,  _ Merlin deserves some time for himself. _

**Author's Note:**

> Word Count - 808. There isn't really any point to this part being added to the story, I honestly just had an urge to write George into this for no real reason. So let me know what you think! :D
> 
> [my tumblr](https://ohanahoku-ao3.tumblr.com/)


End file.
